The Mall, Washington, for a Monday cultural overload with friends, education alternative to school as it was a Bank Holiday. First stop was the Natural History Museum to see the Hope Diamond, rather more bijou than the advertising suggested it would be but still a big gem. Presented in a way only the Americans could manage as it rotated, on a small plinth, a quarter turn every few seconds so everyone could see without having to move round it. Other gems and crystals were fairly impressive and some much bigger, but we learned they weren't all diamonds.
Then to the Native American Museum, mainly for its famous cafe and a menu of traditional food from five aboriginal regions of the Americas. We need the cook-book and to re-create Mesoamerica's Arepas, Frijoles a la Charra, Pickled Cactus and Corn, Salsa de Arbol (aka. beans on fried corn bread with corn salad).
Once home the Guatemalan worry dolls were used with a traditional North American Red Flyer truck and bear stuffing snow fluff, to recreate a scene from the folk tale of The Chenoo.
